protests

France announces curfews as government grapples with unrest

space

Japan successfully launches probe in historic Mars moon mission

  • China's Tianwen-3 spacecraft is scheduled for launch around 2028 and hopes to return Mars samples to Earth as early as 2031 -- potentially before the Japanese mission's return. aph-kh/mlm
  • Japanese scientists successfully launched a spacecraft Tuesday that aims to be the first to retrieve samples from one of Mars's moons, potentially helping unlock the origins of the Solar System and life on Earth.
  • China's Tianwen-3 spacecraft is scheduled for launch around 2028 and hopes to return Mars samples to Earth as early as 2031 -- potentially before the Japanese mission's return. aph-kh/mlm
Japanese scientists successfully launched a spacecraft Tuesday that aims to be the first to retrieve samples from one of Mars's moons, potentially helping unlock the origins of the Solar System and life on Earth.
The flagship H3 rocket carrying the unmanned Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) probe blasted off into a pitch black sky from the Tanegashima Space Center at 4:41 am (1941 GMT Monday), according to a live stream broadcast by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Over an hour later, JAXA announced via the live broadcast that the probe had successfully separated from the H3 and was "beginning its journey toward the Martian system".
"I'd dreamt of this day, so I'm incredibly happy," said JAXA scientist Mari Aida. "Right now I feel really relieved."
Despite the early hour in Japan, thousands of people tuned into the live stream, posting messages of encouragement.
The spacecraft is due to arrive near Mars around August next year, where it will orbit one of its moons, Phobos.
A French-German rover dubbed IDEFIX -- the French name for the comic hero Asterix's dog -- will be the first vehicle to travel across Phobos, conducting surface observations aimed at ensuring a safe landing.
Once MMX arrives on Phobos, it will collect at least 10 grams (0.35 ounces) of material from the surface during its planned three years in the Red Planet's vicinity.
The mission -- which aims to be the first round trip to the Martian region -- is a collaboration with US and European space agencies, as well as numerous universities and tech companies.
Scientists hope it will help lay the groundwork for eventual human exploration.
"The samples from MMX will bring forth paradigm-shifting science on the Mars system for generations to come, especially as NASA prepares to send the first humans to Mars,” Nicky Fox, administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said in a message of encouragement broadcast on the JAXA live stream.
JAXA hopes the mission will reveal how Mars and its two moons formed, a key piece of knowledge in working out how the Solar System was born.
One theory for the origin of the moons -- the "giant impact" hypothesis -- is that they formed after a celestial body collided with Mars.
The "capture" hypothesis, meanwhile, postulates that the moons are asteroids pulled in by Mars's gravity.
Determining which theory is correct will help reveal "how a habitable environment for life might have arisen on the terrestrial planets", JAXA said, referring to the four rocky worlds closest to the Sun -- Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.

'Natural space station'

JAXA said the mission will also explore the possibility of using Phobos as a "natural space station" by establishing the requirements for a round trip -- something "essential for crewed Mars exploration".
It will also observe the planet's other moon, Deimos, although it will not land on it.
US and Chinese space agencies have also been vying to be the first to return rock samples from the surface of Mars back to Earth.
NASA's Perseverance rover, which has been roaming across Mars since 2021, has already collected samples.
The return mission, however, was effectively cancelled by the administration of President Donald Trump following a vote by Congress in January.
China's Tianwen-3 spacecraft is scheduled for launch around 2028 and hopes to return Mars samples to Earth as early as 2031 -- potentially before the Japanese mission's return.
aph-kh/mlm

AmericanSamoa

US to auction deep sea mining leases off American Samoa

  • "The message from American Samoa, and people across the United States, could not be clearer: stop deep-sea mining before it starts.
  • President Donald Trump's administration on Monday announced it had finalized a deep-sea mining auction off the coast of American Samoa, the first in the United States' history, despite widespread opposition from locals and environmental groups.
  • "The message from American Samoa, and people across the United States, could not be clearer: stop deep-sea mining before it starts.
President Donald Trump's administration on Monday announced it had finalized a deep-sea mining auction off the coast of American Samoa, the first in the United States' history, despite widespread opposition from locals and environmental groups.
The lease sales will cover approximately 31 million acres over two areas off the US Pacific archipelago, with bidding set for November 19.
"Critical minerals are no longer just commodities; they are a vital strategic asset in global competition, essential for reaching our energy efficiency goals, strengthening our national defense, and securing domestic supply chains," said Mike Olsen, acting director for the Marine Minerals Administration (MMA), which falls under the Interior Department, in a statement.
"MMA recognizes the ocean floor surrounding American Samoa carries cultural, economic, and environmental significance, requiring that the pursuit of national security and energy readiness is balanced with rigorous environmental stewardship," he added. 
The sale follows an April 2025 executive order in which Trump called leadership in deep-sea science and technology "a core national security and economic interest," and a request by US firm Impossible Metals to open leasing off the territory, which lies east of the independent nation of Samoa.
Mining companies want to scour the ocean's abyssal plains for polymetallic nodules laden with nickel, copper and cobalt. Critics fear irreversible damage, with plumes of waste smothering marine life and the thrum of heavy machinery disrupting migrations.
American Samoa banned deep-sea mining in its territorial waters in 2024, but the auction concerns the federally controlled Outer Continental Shelf beyond that limit.
In a public comment submitted in September 2026 about the auction, American Samoa Governor Pulaali'i Nikolao Pula said he "does not support commercial deep-sea mineral extraction at this time" but acknowledged the final decision rests with the US government.
"These lease sales will open the floodgates to the exploitation of our deep seas," said Oceana Defense Campaign Manager Julia Singer.
"The message from American Samoa, and people across the United States, could not be clearer: stop deep-sea mining before it starts. Thousands of scientists, local leaders, and community members have warned of the danger that deep-sea mining poses, yet the Trump administration is continuing to ignore widespread opposition to this proposal. The US government should defend the deep, not fast-track its destruction."
The area borders the vast Rose Atoll marine sanctuary, where endangered species of hawksbill turtle thrive on vibrant reefs.
ia/pnb

attack

Australian lawmaker hurt in car attack underwent surgery overnight: PM

BY WILLIAM WEST

  • "Helen remains in hospital in a critical condition.
  • Australian independent lawmaker Helen Haines underwent surgery overnight but remains in a critical condition after being struck deliberately by a car in an attack, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday.
  • "Helen remains in hospital in a critical condition.
Australian independent lawmaker Helen Haines underwent surgery overnight but remains in a critical condition after being struck deliberately by a car in an attack, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday.
Political violence is rare in Australia, but law enforcement have documented a steady rise in threats and abuse directed towards the nation's elected officials in recent years.
Prime Minister Albanese said the attack was a "test of our character" and led an outpouring of support for Haines, widely praised for her efforts to increase transparency in politics and crack down on corruption.
She was hit by a Toyota Land Cruiser outside her office in the town of Wangaratta, just over 200 kilometres (124 miles) northeast of Melbourne, at around 3:35 pm (0435 GMT).
Witnesses told national broadcaster ABC they heard a bang and saw a woman pinned between two cars.
She was getting things from the trunk of her car when the attack happened, Albanese said.
The driver did a U-turn to get back to her after passing her, he added.
"It's clear this was a deliberate act," he said.
The 65-year-old was critically injured.
She was airlifted to Melbourne and underwent surgery overnight at the Alfred hospital.
"Helen remains in hospital in a critical condition. I spoke with her husband Phil last night, and she underwent surgery last night," Albanese told Australian breakfast show Sunrise on Tuesday.
"All Australians' thoughts are with the family, with her many friends, with her community," he added.
The 43-year-old male driver of the vehicle was detained by civilians, Mason said, before being arrested by police, who found a knife in his car.
Australian media reported that he was known to police.
The investigation is ongoing.

'Devastating'

The alleged attacker's motive remains unknown and Albanese has refused to speculate while the investigation is ongoing.
But he has bemoaned the fact that political debate in Australia had grown too heated and personal over the past few years and pointed to a significant increase in threats against elected officials.
"It's important in a democracy that people are allowed to have disagreements," he said.
"But that doesn't mean that you have to draw into question people's motivations or their patriotism or who they are."
"We've seen, I think, political discourse go in the wrong direction in recent times," he said.
Victoria Premier Ben Carroll said he was "appalled" by the "violent attack" in his state.
"I know how devastating this will be for the Wangaratta community and all those who Helen represents," he said.
Haines entered parliament in 2019 after working as a nurse and midwife, becoming known for stances such as supporting stronger climate action.
"This afternoon, our beloved Helen was involved in an incident outside her Wangaratta Electorate Office, and is receiving medical care," her family said.
"We thank the swift assistance of bystanders and the dedicated health workers who assisted her, and police for their response."
Tributes to the independent lawmaker have poured in from across the political spectrum.
Conservative opposition leader Angus Taylor described it as a "shocking day for our nation".
And far-right Senator Pauline Hanson said "violence against any elected representative, whoever they are and whatever they stand for, is never acceptable in Australia".
sft-oho/bgs

conflict

Trump says ready to meet with Putin and Xi in China

BY DANNY KEMP

  • Pressed on whether he would discuss Ukraine at any Xi-Putin summit, Trump replied that he would do "whatever I can do to end the war."
  • US President Donald Trump indicated Monday he is ready to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping in China next month, saying any summit would focus on denuclearization but could also include the Ukraine war.
  • Pressed on whether he would discuss Ukraine at any Xi-Putin summit, Trump replied that he would do "whatever I can do to end the war."
US President Donald Trump indicated Monday he is ready to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping in China next month, saying any summit would focus on denuclearization but could also include the Ukraine war.
Trump also renewed his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky -- whose country has been fighting off a Russian invasion since 2022 -- saying it was "time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine."
The Kremlin said earlier that the Russian, Chinese and US leaders could meet at an Asia-Pacific summit in Shenzhen next month, following a Wall Street Journal report that Putin wanted the three-way talks to broker a peace deal favorable to Moscow.
"I would do it, not so much for Ukraine, because Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven't been doing much," Trump told reporters when asked if he would attend a meeting with Putin and Xi to discuss Ukraine.
"We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearization."
Pressed on whether he would discuss Ukraine at any Xi-Putin summit, Trump replied that he would do "whatever I can do to end the war."
But Trump defended his recent diesel deal with Putin and decision to waive new sanctions on Moscow, which has opened a huge rift with Kyiv and prompted Zelensky to warn the US leader he is on the wrong side of history.
"Zelensky doesn't know what he's talking about," Trump said when asked about the Ukrainian's comments. "To be honest, I think it's time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine."
Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine in recent months, while Kyiv has accused Washington of withholding vital intelligence and slowing speeds on a satellite system used to track incoming strikes.
Six people, including young children, were killed when a Russian drone struck a park in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region on Monday, the authorities said.

Kyiv insists on involvement

Asked about the Wall Street Journal report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Given that all three heads of state might potentially attend a summit in China, the topic of such a hypothetical meeting has indeed been mentioned."
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group holds a summit in the Chinese city of Shenzhen on November 18-19. China, Russia and the United States are all members.
But Peskov added that "no substantive proposals or agreements, neither regarding the meeting itself nor its potential agenda and content, have been discussed or put forward by anyone".
China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said she had no information about a possible meeting.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga bristled at the suggestion of a meeting without Kyiv.
"A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Russia, China and the US would do only the opposite: encourage Putin to continue this war," he said.
Putin, he insisted on social media, was "not a global leader; he is a war criminal".
The Kremlin's Peskov said that "a final settlement is impossible without the participation of someone from Kyiv who is prepared to take on the responsibility".
But Putin has repeatedly ruled out meeting Zelensky until after a final peace deal is ready and has repeatedly questioned Zelensky's authority to sign a deal following the expiry of his five-year term under martial law.
burs-dk/md

conflict

Ethiopia PM warns Eritrea of 'severe consequences' if supports enemies

  • Abiy has largely refused to comment on the weeks of conflict in the north of the country, but gave a speech in the local language, Tigrinya, on Monday in which he warned Eritrea against further interference. 
  • Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed warned Eritrea on Monday that it faces "severe consequences" if it continues to support rebels in his country.
  • Abiy has largely refused to comment on the weeks of conflict in the north of the country, but gave a speech in the local language, Tigrinya, on Monday in which he warned Eritrea against further interference. 
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed warned Eritrea on Monday that it faces "severe consequences" if it continues to support rebels in his country.
Rebels in the northern Tigray state of Ethiopia launched an offensive against the federal government last month, but were ultimately forced to retreat and lost control of the state. 
The fighting raised fears of a regional war, as the rebels had the backing of neighbouring Eritrea, which deployed thousands of troops in Ethiopian territory. But they were also forced to retreat after being pounded by drone attacks. 
Abiy has largely refused to comment on the weeks of conflict in the north of the country, but gave a speech in the local language, Tigrinya, on Monday in which he warned Eritrea against further interference. 
"Serving as a base for Ethiopia’s enemies instead of being a partner in development will not bring benefits. I believe that ignoring our calls will have very, very, very severe consequences," Abiy said. 
The rebels of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), who had controlled the northern state for decades, have abandoned its cities, and a new federally-appointed administration was put in place on Friday. 
The new mayor of the state capital, Mekelle, told AFP on Monday they will hold elections within six months. 
"Our role is to create the right conditions for elections by ensuring peace and stability across Tigray," mayor Shishay Amare told AFP. 
The TPLF once ruled all of Ethiopia, until Abiy, who hails from the central Oromia region, took power in 2018. 
"The TPLF did not exist 50 years ago, and now its existence is coming to an end," Abiy said. 
"We will carry out development across all parts of Tigray. Until a regular administration is established through elections, our people should preserve their unity and institutions," he added.
Rebel-controlled Tigray did not take part in the nationwide parliamentary elections in June, which saw Abiy and his Prosperity Party returned to power with an overwhelming victory against a largely neutered opposition.
Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993. It now fears landlocked Ethiopia will invade to seize access to the Red Sea. 
"When Eritrea was part of Ethiopia, its cities were vibrant and beautiful. Today, Eritrean cities seem like ghost towns," Abiy said in the speech.
"Good neighbourly relations and partnership are the only way forward."
dyg-er/pdw

referendum

Oil-rich Alberta votes on Canada breakup

BY BEN SIMON

  • Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, a conservative, has said she is voting against independence but called the referendum to settle an issue that has divided the province.
  • Canada's province of Alberta was voting Monday on whether to hold a binding referendum on independence, testing national unity as the country faces threats from US President Donald Trump.
  • Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, a conservative, has said she is voting against independence but called the referendum to settle an issue that has divided the province.
Canada's province of Alberta was voting Monday on whether to hold a binding referendum on independence, testing national unity as the country faces threats from US President Donald Trump.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has in recent days argued Alberta's vote is being held "at the worst possible time," urging Canadians to rally together to confront Trump's trade war and annexation threats.
Polls indicate less than a quarter of people in the oil-rich western province want independence, but the result may partly hinge on turnout, with the separatist camp seen as highly motivated to vote.
There were no long lines outside polling stations on a chilly morning in the provincial capital Edmonton, but Alberta's elections authority said 1.4 million of the 3.1 million eligible voters cast advance ballots.
After voting at a hilltop polling station, David Gallagher told AFP an independent Alberta was a "silly idea."
"I want to stamp it down and stop it," the 58-year-old said.
Hayden Chann, a 21-year-old student, told AFP he doesn't personally support independence but voted with the separatist side this time, because he wants people to have "the real option to really vote."
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, a conservative, has said she is voting against independence but called the referendum to settle an issue that has divided the province.
If a majority votes to separate, she has pledged to move forward with a binding referendum.
If the federalists win, Smith says the secession question should be considered closed.

Foreign influence?

Alberta has the world's fourth-largest proven oil reserves, and much of the separatist momentum has been driven by anger over oil industry management.
Smith has blamed Carney's predecessor Justin Trudeau for igniting the separatist fire, accusing him of trying to crush oil production to advance his pro-climate agenda.
Alberta's independence push has also drawn sustained interest from Trump allies.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called Alberta a "natural partner" for the United States. Elon Musk, the world's richest person and a top Trump supporter, posted on X this month that Alberta "should separate."
Separatist leaders have also held meetings at the US State Department and met with Republican political operatives.
Cody Porter, a 48-year-old actor, told AFP after voting in Edmonton that the country needed to "present a strong front as Canadians against what is very clearly interference from other governments," but declined to offer specifics.

'Huge uncertainty'

Carney, who grew up in Alberta, has worked to improve relations between the province and Ottawa since taking office last year.
He has partnered with Smith on advancing a new pipeline to export more Alberta bitumen overseas, a project considered a nonstarter during Trudeau's tenure.
But he has also warned Albertans that even a nonbinding vote on independence would be a "dangerous bluff," drawing on his experience during Brexit, when he was the Bank of England's governor.
"It wasn't clear what 'Brexit' meant at the time," he told a Calgary television station last week. 
"While that was being determined, there was huge uncertainty, investments stopped" he added, cautioning over unintended economic consequences.
Haley Erdegard, a 44-year-old who voted in Edmonton, voiced discomfort with the idea, advanced by some separatists, that Alberta is forced to share too much of its oil revenue with the rest of Canada.
"The whole point of privilege is that if you have more than somebody else, you're supposed to share," she told AFP.
"I think we probably need to put some more work towards cooperation before making rash decisions about trying to start our own country."
bur-bs/pnb

conflict

Israel announces arrests after West Bank settler attacks on Westerners

BY SHAUN TANDON

  • - Rising international attention - One day after Levine's beating, settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats including the French and Belgian consuls general in Jerusalem as they went through the town of Taybeh in the West Bank on Saturday.
  • Israeli police said Monday they had arrested 10 people in the occupied West Bank after settler attacks on an American photographer and a French mayor that drew international condemnation but mixed messages from the government.
  • - Rising international attention - One day after Levine's beating, settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats including the French and Belgian consuls general in Jerusalem as they went through the town of Taybeh in the West Bank on Saturday.
Israeli police said Monday they had arrested 10 people in the occupied West Bank after settler attacks on an American photographer and a French mayor that drew international condemnation but mixed messages from the government.
In a rare action against rising settler violence, police said they raided several locations across the occupied territory and seized cars and potential evidence related to the attacks.
"Following the severe incidents of violence over the past weekend, including the assault of a media worker and the suspected attacks on foreign civilians, an arrest operation was conducted before dawn," said Major General Moshe Finchi, the Israeli police's West Bank commander.
"Suspects were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the violent incidents, violating a military commander's order concerning a closed military zone, and illegal construction," he said.
Witnesses say that settlers have been stepping up violent attacks on Palestinians during the ongoing olive harvest, aiming to seize their land during a season that carries cultural importance for the community.
Rights groups note that Israel rarely prosecutes settlers when the victims are Palestinian.
The Israeli human rights group Yesh Din said it documented 561 acts of settler or military violence against Palestinians since September 27 -- more than 26 incidents a day.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing a tight race for a new mandate, has tried to shore up his pro-settlement right-wing base and has cast doubt on the circumstances behind the recent settler attacks on Westerners.
Netanyahu's tone has brought unusually strong criticism from the opposition, which has accused him of tarnishing Israel's image.
US ambassador Mike Huckabee, a staunch ally of Israel, had called Friday's beating of veteran photographer Heidi Levine an "act of terror" and demanded punishment. He called Monday's arrests a "very positive development".
Levine, 65, who was on assignment for The Washington Post, was taken to a hospital with broken vertebrae. From her hospital bed, she received a telephone call from President Isaac Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial role, and was visited by centre-left opposition leader Yair Golan.
Golan in a social media post afterwards said that if he takes power, there will no longer be "a reality in which Jews instil terror in the name of Jewish supremacy, and stain the state we built here".
Palestinian officials and witnesses reported a series of new attacks even after the arrests, including an attempt by settlers to storm a school near olive groves and the shooting and wounding of a young man near Nablus.

Rising international attention

One day after Levine's beating, settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats including the French and Belgian consuls general in Jerusalem as they went through the town of Taybeh in the West Bank on Saturday.
The settlers beat up Bernard Baudoux, 78, the mayor of the northern French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries who was wearing a sash in the French tricolour during a goodwill visit in which he helped harvest olives.
Netanyahu earlier questioned the facts behind the two recent incidents. 
On Levine's beating, he alleged that Palestinians and "far-left" activists were fanning violence. With the attack on the diplomatic convoy, he pointed out that the mayor was a leftist supporter of the Palestinian cause and said that diplomats should have coordinated with the Israeli military.
The top official on human rights in the US State Department, Riley Barnes, on Sunday visited the same town where the mayor was beaten, which is largely Christian, on a trip coordinated with the military. He was unharmed.
The violence by settlers has led British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband to accuse Israel of an "ethnic cleansing" campaign and for his government to impose sanctions on goods from settlements.
Marking Monday's deadline for Israel accepting construction tenders for the E1 settlements, a major new project that Palestinians fear will divide the West Bank in two, Miliband warned businesses about consequences.
"They should be aware of legal and reputational consequences, including the risk of involving themselves in serious breaches of international law," Miliband said in a statement.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar hit back against what he called an "obsession" with Israel by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government.
"The days when Israel would quietly accept threats, sanctions and attempts to dictate its policies are over," Saar said.
glp-sct/jsa

protests

France announces curfews as government grapples with unrest

BY JEREMY TORDJMAN, LEA DAUPLE AND NICHOLAS ROLL

  • Authorities said partial curfews would be enforced from Monday evening to Tuesday morning in a number of cities including Paris, Lille and Lyon, to protect businesses. 
  • France announced partial curfews in Paris and other cities on Monday after weekend demonstrations over soaring prices degenerated into some of the worst street violence in recent years.
  • Authorities said partial curfews would be enforced from Monday evening to Tuesday morning in a number of cities including Paris, Lille and Lyon, to protect businesses. 
France announced partial curfews in Paris and other cities on Monday after weekend demonstrations over soaring prices degenerated into some of the worst street violence in recent years.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu did not rule out imposing a state of emergency after the interior minister said police had "lost control".
Tourists in Paris had a taste of the disruption on Monday when they found the Louvre closed because of a small group of student protesters, while the US embassy in Paris urged American citizens to avoid the demonstrations. 
Facing accusations that it failed to anticipate and respond to the violence, the government has vowed to re-establish order, while officials scrambled to contain public anger.
The unrest, erupting just six months before France elects a successor to President Emmanuel Macron, threatened to continue, with organisers calling for a new round of protests next Saturday.
Authorities said partial curfews would be enforced from Monday evening to Tuesday morning in a number of cities including Paris, Lille and Lyon, to protect businesses. 
In the capital, a curfew was ordered from 11:00 pm (2100 GMT), while demonstrations were banned from 8:00 pm.
"I'm absolutely determined to restore public order," Lecornu said.
Other European countries have also seen demonstrations over rising prices, with smaller clashes breaking out in Milan and Belgium over the weekend and protests simmering in Spain and Portugal.
Some half a million people turned out across France on Saturday to denounce the surging cost of living, a culmination of four weeks of protests that began with students demanding better conditions at high schools.
What started as peaceful demonstrations descended into violence in many cities, as masked groups attacked law enforcement, broke into public buildings and set some ablaze, looted shops, and set fire to cars, bicycles and scooters.

Listings for 'stolen goods'

On Monday, France's digital minister, Anne Le Henanff, urged online resale platforms to remove listings for "stolen items" following Saturday's looting and summoned representatives of companies including Vinted and eBay.
After the weekend scenes of chaos, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez offered his resignation, but Macron refused to accept it.
More than 2,500 people were arrested and nearly 1,000 members of the security forces injured. Protesters were also hurt, with one demonstrator's hand blown off by a police crowd-control grenade. 
Macron acknowledged failures in the government response, which had seen 60,000 law enforcement personnel deployed on Saturday.
Nationwide, more than 2,513 people have been taken into police custody since the weekend, Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said. He added that 67 had been jailed and "dozens" of criminal cases opened.
Darmanin also said authorities would use facial recognition on social media to identify perpetrators.
At least 3,000 shops were damaged, with the cost running into hundreds of millions of euros.
In an address to the nation Sunday, Macron slammed the "unbridled" violence.
The European Union called the violence "unacceptable" but warned that the right to peaceful protest "must be protected" in France.
Germany condemned the violence and updated its travel advice for France, saying "further outbreaks of violence in the coming days cannot be ruled out".
China has warned citizens travelling to France to be aware of risks and take safety precautions, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
- Louvre blocked - 
In Paris on Monday, a dozen demonstrators blocked the entrance to the Louvre, the most visited museum in the world, while bewildered tourists looked on.
"We don't want to get involved. We want to stand back and get away from them," Pat Boland, a tourist from Australia, said of the protests.
The pensioner, 73, spoke to AFP outside barricades that had been erected at the Louvre, which was closed because a small group of protesters stood by its famed glass pyramid entrance.
The unrest has flared before presidential elections in April and May that will elect a new French president after a decade of centrist Macron.
Marine Le Pen, the far-right presidential candidate, is riding high in the polls.
The government has accused ultra-left groups of stoking the violence to boost the chances of the far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon in the presidential polls.
The interior minister and intelligence services were to meet late Monday to discuss the violence.
- Europe - 
During the weekend, clashes broke out on the sidelines of a cost-of-living demonstration in Milan.
"I'm very worried because it's a new phenomenon, which also originates from an international scenario and therefore feeds itself," mayor Giuseppe Sala said.
In Belgium, police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters in Brussels and Liege.
In Spain protesters have set up tents in the heart of Madrid to denounce soaring housing costs, with similar encampments going up in neighbouring Portugal's main cities of Lisbon and Porto.
burs/as/rmb/rh/sbk

US

Netanyahu basks in Trump endorsement week before election

BY SHAUN TANDON

  •   - Impact to be seen -   Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, had waited for years for a US president who would agree to attack Iran.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday basked in Donald Trump's endorsement days before close-fought elections, airing a call in which the US president predicted he would win and suggested they may again attack Iran together.
  •   - Impact to be seen -   Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, had waited for years for a US president who would agree to attack Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday basked in Donald Trump's endorsement days before close-fought elections, airing a call in which the US president predicted he would win and suggested they may again attack Iran together.
A day after Trump publicly endorsed Netanyahu for the October 27 vote, Netanyahu put out a video of a telephone call in which the two right-wing leaders lavish praise on each other.
"I think you're going to have a tremendous victory, actually," Trump can be heard saying on speakerphone.
"You're the man I want by my side, Bibi," Trump said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.
Netanyahu -- while reminding the famously loose-lipped president that they were on an open line -- hailed Trump for joining Israel in attacking Iran in late February.
"Donald, we have a job to finish," a beaming Netanyahu said. "We'll finish it together. We'll finish it, and no one else will do it."
Netanyahu did not elaborate but again described Iran's clerical state, which remains in power nearly eight months after the joint attack, as "the greatest danger".
Netanyahu appeared to be speaking to Trump from an air force base from which he earlier released a video warning that he had been assured of Israel's "capability to strike our enemies the moment it is required".
 

Impact to be seen

 
Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, had waited for years for a US president who would agree to attack Iran. But Trump abruptly switched course in April and reached with Iran a ceasefire that is now in tatters.
Polls showed that Trump's approval rating in Israel dropped sharply afterwards.
David Makovsky, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said it was unclear that Trump's endorsement would have a "huge impact" on Israelis.
Netanyahu is "a polarising figure. You either love him or hate him," Makovsky said. "How many undecideds are there? Not that many."
Trump went ahead with the endorsement despite open tensions involving top US officials. Vice President JD Vance has issued stinging criticism of Israel over the Iran war, saying it had no friends other than the United States and needs to get in line with US policy.
Makovsky said Trump's move may indicate that he secured an agreement from Netanyahu in return for the endorsement, although it was unclear on what.
The Israel Hayom newspaper -- in a report denied by the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee -- recently said the Trump administration was pushing Netanyahu to form a government that no longer includes his far-right allies, who have championed settler extremists in the West Bank and urged the expulsion of all of Gaza's Palestinians.
The newspaper said that a more moderate new unity government could then work on normalising Israel's relations with more Arab and Islamic states. Netanyahu in the call to Trump mentioned expanding the so-called Abraham Accords, in which the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco normalised with Israel in 2020.
Netanyahu described Trump as "by far, the greatest friend Israel has ever had".
Since his first term, Trump has taken several major steps to back Israel, including moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, which most countries do not recognise as Israel's capital due to the dispute with the Palestinians.
Netanyahu's top challenger, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, still voiced respect for Trump after the endorsement, while adding, "Only Israelis can choose their leader."
 

'Treated unfairly'

 
Trump, 80, and Netanyahu, who turns 77 on Wednesday, have forged a close partnership at a time when both are vastly unpopular in public opinion in most democratic nations.
Both have also managed to avoid prosecution while in power, with Netanyahu facing charges of corruption that could land him in prison.
Trump, who remains bitter over cases against him including over his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss, told Netanyahu in language he often uses about himself, "You're a warrior. You've been treated unfairly by your country and by some others."
Netanyahu faces an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the relentless Israeli offensive in Gaza in response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
Netanyahu has angrily denounced the charges, and the Trump administration has tried to dismantle the court in The Hague through sanctions.
sct/jfx

US

Saudi airport closure disrupts life in kingdom's capital

  • Last week, the Saudi-led coalition accused the Houthis of attacking Riyadh's airport 20 times in October alone.
  • The prolonged closure of Riyadh's airport after a series of fatal attacks has exposed the risks confronting Saudi Arabia's drive to shift its international image, disrupting businesses, airlines and residents more than a week after flights were grounded.
  • Last week, the Saudi-led coalition accused the Houthis of attacking Riyadh's airport 20 times in October alone.
The prolonged closure of Riyadh's airport after a series of fatal attacks has exposed the risks confronting Saudi Arabia's drive to shift its international image, disrupting businesses, airlines and residents more than a week after flights were grounded.
Deadly strikes by Yemen's Houthis in recent weeks have dealt a blow to the kingdom, forcing the airport to close until further notice and a slate of events to be postponed or cancelled including its flagship investment forum dubbed "Davos in the desert".
Government agencies in the Saudi capital have also told employees to work from home starting Monday, one worker and two consultants told AFP, as has the 99-storey Kingdom Centre skyscraper in downtown Riyadh housing the regional office of the International Monetary Fund.
"When people start throwing missiles directly at Riyadh airport and any other airport, you can't just continue to operate," said Captain Desmond Ross, an aviation expert based in Dubai and Ireland with decades of experience as a pilot and air traffic controller. 
"An attack on an airport is something entirely different from a non-aviation target," he told AFP.
"I think Riyadh has suffered that more dramatically than any other of the Gulf nations or the Arab nations," during the ongoing Middle East war.
Last week, the Saudi-led coalition accused the Houthis of attacking Riyadh's airport 20 times in October alone.
"The Houthis must immediately cease all terrorist operations," said coalition spokesman Turki Al-Malki.
Saudi Arabia has faced Houthi barrages targeting its airports and energy infrastructure in recent weeks, after fighting between the kingdom and the Iran-backed rebels sharply escalated.
The Houthis have remained unrepentant and continued to issue warnings about flying in Saudi airspace.
Saudi officials did not respond to questions from AFP about a possible timeline for the airport's reopening.
According to a regional airline source, their carrier was told by Saudi authorities on Friday the airport would remain closed until further notice, with no further details provided.
A second source from another regional carrier said the airline had been told the airport would remain closed at least until October 24.
 

Turbulence

 
With the airport shuttered, Saudi Arabia has been forced to cancel or postpone high-profile events, including a star-studded tennis tournament.
The move came amid other announcements concerning MDLBEAST Soundstorm music festival, Riyadh fashion week and the Red Sea Film Festival.
The kingdom's flagship investment forum the Future Investment Initiative (FII) was also postponed until 2027 on Monday.
It deals another blow to the kingdom's ambitious economic transformation drive.
For nearly a decade, the conference has been a showcase for Saudi Arabia's push to attract global investors, business leaders and heads of state -- and to sell its vision of an economy less dependent on oil.
"Few want to visit a country under persistent deadly missile attacks. And even fewer want to invest in one," wrote Karen Elliott House, author of a recent book about the crown prince, in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.
Domestic airlines have scrambled to find alternative routes for the capital's seven million residents, with recent targeted advertisements highlighting flights from Qassim airport three hours from Riyadh.
Others have bused to airports in Bahrain and Qatar to both exit and enter the kingdom. 
A Dubai-based consultant said that "no employee is forced to travel to Saudi Arabia" but if a client relationship was at risk they were "encouraged to make the trip by car via Bahrain".
One Riyadh resident described being re-routed mid-flight during an attack on the airport.
"We decided to land in Jeddah," said the resident on the condition of anonymity. "From Jeddah, thank God, everything worked out, and we were able to catch a flight to Qassim."
With many offices moving to remote work, expatriates in Riyadh who frequently travelled to their home countries on weekends are still weighing their options.
"I can cope with this situation for a month or more, but I cannot imagine it lasting much longer than that," said a resident, who flew home to a Middle Eastern country often before the closure.
Western embassies have also tightened travel advisories, with some warning against travelling to the kingdom.
The moves, and the chatter among expatriates about possibly leaving Saudi Arabia, have stirred resentment among some Saudis who feel well-heeled foreigners have not stuck by their side.
Saudi ministers have instead sought to reassure residents and investors. 
As text messages warning of an attack on the capital were sent last week, Human Resources Minister Ahmad bin Sulaiman Al Rajhi looked up from his phone at the Riyadh Economic Forum.
"We are safe. With God's will," he told the crowd. "May God turn their plots back against them."
bur/jfx

conflict

Ukraine on back foot as Kremlin moots US, China meeting

BY SERGEI SUPINSKY

  • "Once again, there was no early warning from our partners," Zelensky said, as he catalogued the damage, deaths and injuries.
  • Ukraine on Monday again said it had no early warning of powerful Russian missile strikes and complained that persistent problems with a US military grade satellite were hobbling frontline troops.
  • "Once again, there was no early warning from our partners," Zelensky said, as he catalogued the damage, deaths and injuries.
Ukraine on Monday again said it had no early warning of powerful Russian missile strikes and complained that persistent problems with a US military grade satellite were hobbling frontline troops.
The government in Kyiv first said it was caught off-guard last week, when a wave of ballistic missiles and fast-moving attack drones slammed into the capital and elsewhere before air raid sirens could sound.
President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the United States of withholding vital intelligence and slowing speeds on the Starshield system used on the battlefield to launch counter-strikes, prompting denials from Washington.
Relations have been strained between the two capitals since Donald Trump partially lifted sanctions to strike a diesel-supply deal with Vladimir Putin and slammed Zelensky as a warmonger for Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries.
The Kremlin added to fears in Kyiv that it could be sidelined by the White House in efforts to end the conflict by suggesting Trump could meet Putin and China's Xi Jinping at an upcoming Asia-Pacific summit.
Russia's latest strikes again struck Ukrainian energy facilities and infrastructure across the country, knocking out power to more than 500,000 people and forcing emergency repairs to the battered grid.
"Once again, there was no early warning from our partners," Zelensky said, as he catalogued the damage, deaths and injuries.
Six people, including three children, were killed in a strike near the northeastern city of Kharkiv, the authorities said.
In a thinly veiled attack, Zelensky hit back at Trump after the US leader said Ukraine's own strikes on Russian refineries were "seriously hurting" the global cost of diesel and accused him of wanting to prolong the war.
"Ukraine never wanted this war," Zelensky said, instead pointing to Putin, who ordered his troops into Ukraine in February 2022, for doing nothing to de-escalate nearly five years of bitter fighting.
"It is crucial to call things what they are," he added. "To call the aggressor an aggressor and help Ukraine defend lives.
"When deliveries of missiles for Ukraine's air defence are blocked while Russia is granted relief or delays in sanctions, this is, unfortunately, a denial of reality on the part of our partners."
 
- Trilateral? - 
 
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on a visit to Uzbekistan, on Monday denied that intelligence-sharing had been withdrawn with Ukraine, backing Trump's call for Zelensky to focus on ending the conflict.
Trump had also denied being behind an instruction to slow speeds on the US government-owned and -controlled Starshield after Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX developed it, said the order could only have come from the White House.
Zelensky said frontline units had reported that Starshield equipment "stops functioning at speeds of 130-160 kilometres (80-100 miles) per hour in various sectors of the front".
"This is slowing down our frontline logistics and limiting the use of various types of drones, particularly mid-strike drones and interceptors of jet-powered 'shahed' (drones)," he added.
Zelensky, who has pushed without success for advanced US Patriot interceptor systems to boost Ukraine's air defence, also said there were "delays in certain types of vital supplies" at the US defence ministry, without elaborating.
Talks to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II are deadlocked, with Russia refusing to give up its claim to Ukrainian territory and Ukraine steadfastly refusing attempts to force it to do so.
Trump had vowed a swift end to the war when he returned to office but since then has appeared to swing behind Russia, including calling for Zelensky to be replaced.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "the topic of such a hypothetical has indeed been mentioned", when asked about a Wall Street Journal report on Sunday that Trump, Putin and Xi could meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen on November 18-19.
Beijing and Washington both said they had no information on a possible meeting.
But Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said that would "only encourage Putin to continue this war". 
bur-phz/mmp/sbk

diplomacy

US wants to be 'strong partner' for central Asia: Rubio

  • "The United States wants to be a strong partner in central Asia, obviously rooted in this country, but also all the neighbouring countries who want to do more business and trade with us," he told journalists.
  • The United States wishes to be a "strong partner" for central Asia, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday, as he pushed for greater access for American companies during talks with regional leaders. 
  • "The United States wants to be a strong partner in central Asia, obviously rooted in this country, but also all the neighbouring countries who want to do more business and trade with us," he told journalists.
The United States wishes to be a "strong partner" for central Asia, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday, as he pushed for greater access for American companies during talks with regional leaders. 
Before heading to India on a tour mixing diplomacy and commerce, Rubio arrived in Uzbekistan's Silk Road city of Samarkand late Sunday for negotiations with top officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Uzbek hosts.
The leaders of the five former Soviet republics met US President Donald Trump at the White House in November last year, as the United States seeks stronger ties in a region with vast natural resources but where China has emerged as a key competitor.
Heading a delegation including numerous business executives, Rubio visited Samarkand's old city, a historic staging post between China and the West, before meeting regional leaders.
"The United States wants to be a strong partner in central Asia, obviously rooted in this country, but also all the neighbouring countries who want to do more business and trade with us," he told journalists.
"We have an incredible delegation, almost 300 American businesses that are here with us, and the opportunity to sign billions of dollars of agreements that will both enrich the countries in the region, but also benefit the United States economically," he said.
Later Monday, the State Department said the US and Uzbekistan had concluded more than 50 contracts worth a combined $12 billion in sectors including tech, industrial modernisation, transport and energy.
With Washington stuck in a war with Iran and unable to halt Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Rubio has stepped up his foreign travel with recent trips to Europe and Latin America, while leaving Trump to handle the conflicts and the US mid-term elections.
 

'It's competition'

 
But Rubio insisted this week's tour is of strategic importance.
"This is an important relationship," he said shortly before his departure. "There's countries you'd like to get to because we want to build our relationships with them."
Asked by AFP whether Washington's push in central Asia was aimed at countering China's growing influence, Rubio replied: "It's competition."
"There's no part of the world in which we feel like America and American business should not have a fair shot to compete."
Rubio also pushed back against suggestions there had been a "pause" in US intelligence-sharing with Kyiv, and urged Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky to "focus" on ending the war.
 

India deal 'very close'

 
After Uzbekistan, Rubio will go to India where the US ambassador is Sergio Gor, who was born in Uzbekistan and is also the US special envoy for central Asia.
The central Asian states remain linked to Russia by energy pipelines and security and migratory networks, but Russian influence has eroded since the start of its invasion of Ukraine.
And China has reaped the benefits. It is now the main trade partner of all five nations.
Chinese companies have signed a number of energy-related deals, seeking to buy natural gas in Turkmenistan, uranium in Kazakhstan and rare earths in Tajikistan.
In a joint statement after the talks, the US and the five Central Asian countries pledged to "strive for a Central Asia that returns to the center of the global economy", including through development of the Trans-Caspian trade route.
Also known as the Middle Corridor, the route links China to Europe through central Asia, the Caucasus and Turkey while bypassing Russia. It has attracted growing interest since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Crossing central Asia shortens delivery times while avoiding riskier routes, including the Red Sea-Suez Canal shipping corridor and overland routes through Russia, which have been complicated by Western sanctions.
On his second visit to India this year, Rubio will have stops in Mumbai and Jamnagar in Gujarat state. Both are major port cities.
"We're very close" to a trade deal with India, a second senior US official said of negotiations with the Asian giant that have dragged on for months.
The two sides reached a provisional agreement in February aimed at reducing US tariffs on Indian products.
But legal battles in US courts over Trump's tariffs have fuelled uncertainty about when a bilateral trade deal could take effect.
India-US relations were also rattled when Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on Indian goods in retaliation for Delhi's purchases of Russian oil, but those duties have since been lifted. 
lb/tw/pdw/cms/rh/sbk

fire

Monitor says Indonesia fires have burned nearly two million hectares

  • Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Monday the number of consecutive days in which air quality dipped into "unhealthy" levels has surpassed that of 2015, when the region experienced its worst haze crisis.
  • Indonesian wildfires that have caused a regional haze crisis burned more than 1.9 million hectares in the first nine months of 2026, a monitor analysing satellite data said on Monday.
  • Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Monday the number of consecutive days in which air quality dipped into "unhealthy" levels has surpassed that of 2015, when the region experienced its worst haze crisis.
Indonesian wildfires that have caused a regional haze crisis burned more than 1.9 million hectares in the first nine months of 2026, a monitor analysing satellite data said on Monday.
The report came as Indonesian officials said they had accepted help from neighbours Malaysia and Singapore to combat the blazes.
"We've already responded to the aid proposal... they (Malaysia) will be assisting with three aircraft and 52 personnel," Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Dudung Abdurachman told reporters in Jakarta.
Malaysia had made repeated offers of help to combat the fires that have sent air pollution levels soaring in its own capital and others in the region.
Dudung said Singapore will also provide assistance, without giving any details.
New figures from deforestation monitoring site Nusantara Atlas showed an area nearly 12 times larger than London has burned from January to the end of September, most of it as drought took hold from June, exacerbated by a strong El Nino cycle.
Indonesia's government has not provided official figures since announcing 202,000 hectares had been razed by the end of July.
Nusantara Atlas founder David Gaveau said the true scale of the burning was likely higher than the 1,916,588 hectares his organisation has detected.
The calculation had been affected by heavy haze from the fires that obscured satellite images at times, among other factors.
Even so, Nusantara Atlas data shows the area burned was 38 percent higher than at the same point in 2019, another calamitous year for wildfires.
Forestry Ministry spokesman Ristianto Pribadi told AFP the government was still calculating the total burnt area and said the Nusantara Atlas data "cannot be readily confirmed".
President Prabowo Subianto ordered on Monday a "massive deployment" of resources to tackle the blazes, according to the government. 

'We are still capable'

Indonesia experiences fires every dry season, but this year's blazes have been particularly severe, making hundreds of thousands of people ill.
The haze has prompted school closures in Malaysia and East Timor, with haze drifting into Singapore and as far afield as the Philippines.
Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Monday the number of consecutive days in which air quality dipped into "unhealthy" levels has surpassed that of 2015, when the region experienced its worst haze crisis.
Singapore classes a day as "unhealthy" if the local PSI air quality measuring system tips over 100 at any point during the day.
Singapore sent warnings to three companies on Monday, urging them to take action against fires in areas they exploit, the NEA said.
That followed notices sent to seven Indonesian companies on Friday, telling them to deploy fire-fighting teams, stop burning or starting new fires, and submit action plans to the NEA.
Singapore Senior Minister K. Shanmugam warned on Monday that those responsible would be held to account.
"Some companies may deny responsibility. They may think they can escape scrutiny. But they should not underestimate the Singapore government's determination to act," Shanmugam told reporters.
Indonesia's Dudung insisted earlier on Monday that Indonesia was "still capable of handling the situation ourselves" even as another firefighter died.
The volunteer died in hospital of injuries he suffered when a team became overwhelmed while battling flames on Thursday in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java, park officials said.
He was the fifth member of that group to die.
Duding said later, when announcing help was coming from Malaysia, that Indonesia had 47 aircraft and 60,000 personnel deployed against the fires.
About 150 students staged a protest on Monday in Palangkaraya, a city in the severely affected Central Kalimantan province on Borneo island, to demand more government action.
The demonstrators carried a doll wrapped in white cloth, in line with Islamic burial rites.
"The government... has not been truly effective in handling forest and land fire," said one protester, identified only as Naomi.
"This warrants being designated and recorded in history as a gross human rights violation," she said.
burs-sah/mlr/pbt

conflict

Putin, Xi and Trump could meet at APEC summit: Kremlin

  • The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group holds a summit in the Chinese city of Shenzhen on November 18-19.
  • The Russian, Chinese and US presidents could potentially meet at an Asia-Pacific summit in China next month, the Kremlin said on Monday.
  • The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group holds a summit in the Chinese city of Shenzhen on November 18-19.
The Russian, Chinese and US presidents could potentially meet at an Asia-Pacific summit in China next month, the Kremlin said on Monday.
No concrete proposals for a meeting or agenda have been discussed, the Kremlin added and stressed that no final deal on ending the war in Ukraine could be reached without Kyiv's participation. 
The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted a summit with presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump to discuss the Ukraine war and that he hoped to broker a peace deal that favours Moscow.
The report cited unnamed people familiar with the discussions.
Asked about the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Given that all three heads of state might potentially attend a summit in China, the topic of such a hypothetical meeting has indeed been mentioned."
But he added that "no substantive proposals or agreements, neither regarding the meeting itself nor its potential agenda and content, have been discussed or put forward by anyone".
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group holds a summit in the Chinese city of Shenzhen on November 18-19. All three countries are members.
Asked about the potential meeting during a visit to Uzbekistan, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he did not "know if anything has been finalised".
"But the president has been clear: He would like the war in Ukraine and Russia to end," he told reporters.
China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said she had no information about a possible meeting.
 

No meeting without Kyiv

 
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga bristled at the suggestion of a meeting without Kyiv.
"A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, the US and Russia could help end the war sooner," he said.
"A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Russia, China and the US would do only the opposite: encourage Putin to continue this war."
Putin, he insisted on social media, was "not a global leader; he is a war criminal".
"By any pragmatic or moral measure, Putin has no place at the table with presidents Trump and Xi." 
Peskov said that "a final settlement is impossible without the participation of someone from Kyiv who is prepared to take on the responsibility".
Putin has repeatedly ruled out meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky until after a final peace deal is ready and has repeatedly questioned Zelensky's authority to sign a deal following the expiry of his five-year term under martial law.
Ukraine has forcefully rejected the idea and said Putin's refusals to meet Zelensky show he has no interest in ending the war. The Kremlin has rejected the assertion.
Talk of a three-way meeting between the US, Chinese and Russian leaders came after Trump waived new sanctions on Russia and struck a diesel deal with Moscow.
Trump has made renewed attacks on Zelensky in recent days, charging that the Ukraine leader "doesn't want to end this war". Zelensky has flatly rejected the comments.
bur/kjm

summit

UN climate panel head wants swift end to deadlock over key scientific report

  • "I will reconvene this plenary session at the earliest opportunity so the panel can effectively conclude its business," he said.
  • The world's top climate scientists will reconvene at the earliest opportunity, the panel's chair said on Monday, after member states failed to agree when to release its crucial new findings on global heating.
  • "I will reconvene this plenary session at the earliest opportunity so the panel can effectively conclude its business," he said.
The world's top climate scientists will reconvene at the earliest opportunity, the panel's chair said on Monday, after member states failed to agree when to release its crucial new findings on global heating.
The IPCC, a United Nations body, is the global authority on climate science.
Its reports bring together the latest knowledge on climate change, its causes, potential impacts and options for responding.
They are the key reference point for international agreements on how to tackle the climate crisis, are used by governments to develop national climate policies and have been quoted in international court rulings.
The IPCC suspended its latest negotiations late on Friday after a week of tough talks in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
Many of the IPCC's nearly 200 member countries want its next major report out in time for a crucial United Nations climate summit in 2028.
That summit is due to take stock of the world's progress so far in cutting planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions and is a key decision-making point.
But some IPCC members -- including Saudi Arabia, India and China -- have argued that more time is needed to incorporate science and data from developing nations and have said the new report should be delayed until 2029.
"Reaching consensus on the schedule for our upcoming IPCC reports is vital," IPCC chair Jim Skea said on Monday.
"Our reports... help communicate the scale of climate risks and the urgency of mitigation, adaptation and international cooperation." 

Best available evidence

Skea said that because the Addis Ababa meeting ran past the closing time, many countries -- notably smaller nations most vulnerable to climate change -- had to leave.
He said it was essential for all countries in the IPCC to be able fully to participate in the negotiations to ensure the body's assessments on the state of the planet were "robust, representative and responsive to the needs of all countries".
The IPCC, set up in 1988, knits together assessments from thousands of climate scientists who work voluntarily to compile its mammoth reports.
They are normally released every five to seven years. The most recent came out in 2021.
Skea said the meeting in Addis Ababa had agreed on many issues, including on artificial intelligence.
But member governments had not yet reached consensus on a timeline for completing the next report "and the IPCC budget that will support our work".
"I will reconvene this plenary session at the earliest opportunity so the panel can effectively conclude its business," he said.
Some 117 scientists working on the new report signed an open letter saying: "Our message to governments and to the world is simple: we will keep working."
The world's response to "the urgency of the climate crisis" must be guided by the best available evidence, said the letter, seen by AFP. 
"An assessment that arrives after the decisions it is meant to inform cannot serve its purpose," it insisted.
"The second Global Stocktake in 2028 is such a decision point -- and the world should not have to face it without the IPCC's latest assessment."
rjm/ag/gil

politics

Albanian PM warns of 'red line' after days of unrest

BY BRISEIDA MEMA

  • "Protests are a right, whereas violence is a crime; this red line must be drawn clearly at this critical stage of our democratic development," Rama said in a Facebook post.
  • Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama accused protesters of crossing a "red line" Monday after a police station was set ablaze during anti-government demonstrations.
  • "Protests are a right, whereas violence is a crime; this red line must be drawn clearly at this critical stage of our democratic development," Rama said in a Facebook post.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama accused protesters of crossing a "red line" Monday after a police station was set ablaze during anti-government demonstrations.
Demonstrators have clashed with police since Tuesday as months of protests escalate, driven by fresh demands for better university conditions, anger over corruption and renewed calls for Rama's resignation.
"Protests are a right, whereas violence is a crime; this red line must be drawn clearly at this critical stage of our democratic development," Rama said in a Facebook post.
The prime minister said he was prepared for dialogue, except with those who commit violence and political parties that fail to distance themselves from it.
Hundreds of protesters again gathered at Tirana's main square and in front of the education ministry on Monday.
"We will continue our movement until Rama resigns. We are not criminals, we want social peace and better living conditions in our country," Leka Sina, a 22-year-old science student, told AFP.
"Violence is not a solution, but the government also needs to reflect deeply to understand this revolt," he added.
Riot police have used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds that have targeted government buildings and smashed stores in several parts of the city.
Protesters have hurled stones, petrol bombs and fireworks at police.
Around 300 people have been injured in the clashes, more than half of them police, according to the authorities.

'A wave of Russian influence'

Petrol bombs were thrown into a police station and the interior ministry entrance on Sunday.
Several other government buildings have been badly damaged in the demonstrations, including the education ministry, which remains a focal point of the demonstrations.
In a meeting with officers on Monday, Rama praised the police response and pledged a 2,500-euro ($2,200) payment to "each officer on the front lines" as well as a "significant salary increase" from January 1.
Rama, who has blamed "foreign hands" for the unrest, also accused Iran and Russia of driving misinformation online.
Stressing that Russia is "not an ally of Albania", Rama warned against a "wave of Russian influence surging through the entire social media ecosystem".
He also warned against "tens of thousands of fake profiles" allegedly linked to Iran, that have been mobilised under the guise of environmental activism.
The anti-government protests in the Balkan nation were initially sparked by a controversial resort development linked to US President Donald Trump's family.
bme/ljv/al/tw

conflict

North Korea warns 'grave situation' prevailing along border

  • "Our military leadership is examining the issues of deploying more tactical strike means along the southern border as a preemptive and suppressive measure to deal with contingency," said Kim, but did not specify the details of the tactical strike. 
  • The powerful sister of North Korea's leader said Monday that "a grave situation is prevailing" along the Southern border, according to state media, and Pyongyang was considering deploying "more tactical strike means" to the area.
  • "Our military leadership is examining the issues of deploying more tactical strike means along the southern border as a preemptive and suppressive measure to deal with contingency," said Kim, but did not specify the details of the tactical strike. 
The powerful sister of North Korea's leader said Monday that "a grave situation is prevailing" along the Southern border, according to state media, and Pyongyang was considering deploying "more tactical strike means" to the area.
The announcement comes amid heightened tensions between the two Koreas, with the nuclear-armed North stepping up weapons tests in recent days, including of a "new-type" precision-guided torpedo system that uses artificial intelligence to detect and track targets.
"Now the situation of the southern border is very unstable," Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement. 
"A grave situation is prevailing along the southern border due to the reckless behavior of the ROK military gangsters," she said in the English-language statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
Citing South Korea's firing of warning shots, broadcasts from propaganda loudspeakers and what she called a "mine explosion farce", Kim said the incidents had "gone beyond the red line".
North Korea has rejected claims it was behind an explosion that injured three soldiers last month inside the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the heavily mined buffer area that has divided the two Koreas since their 1953 armistice.
A joint Seoul-United Nations Command investigation concluded the blast was caused by North Korean mines laid on the South Korean side of the border.
"Our military leadership is examining the issues of deploying more tactical strike means along the southern border as a preemptive and suppressive measure to deal with contingency," said Kim, but did not specify the details of the tactical strike. 
Kim also added that the North is reviewing "resuming the loudspeaker broadcasting against the ROK and considering other necessary and appropriate measures".
She warned that if the actions were to continue, "Seoul will surely regret and face uncontrollably terrible danger".
In 2024, North Korea sent thousands of trash-carrying balloons southwards, saying they were retaliation for anti-North propaganda balloons floated by South Korean activists.
Later, the South turned on border loudspeaker broadcasts for the first time in six years -- including K-pop tunes and international news -- and the North started transmitting strange sounds along the frontier, unsettling South Korean residents.
Loudspeaker broadcasts, a tactic that dates back to the Korean War, have previously prompted Pyongyang to threaten artillery strikes on Seoul's speaker units. 
South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung has vowed to reach out to the nuclear-armed North and pursue dialogue without preconditions -- a reversal from his hawkish predecessor.
Last year the South's defence ministry removed loudspeakers from its side of the border as "a practical measure aimed at helping ease tensions with the North".
hs/fox

fire

Indonesia fires burned over 1.9 mn hectares through September: monitor

  • The satellites the monitor uses were not available during severe fires in 2015, so comparable data is not available.
  • Fires in Indonesia burned through over 1.9 million hectares between January and the end of September this year, a monitor analysing satellite imagery said on Monday.
  • The satellites the monitor uses were not available during severe fires in 2015, so comparable data is not available.
Fires in Indonesia burned through over 1.9 million hectares between January and the end of September this year, a monitor analysing satellite imagery said on Monday.
The figure, an area nearly 12 times larger than London, is a conservative estimate in part because haze has complicated satellite verification, said David Gaveau, founder of deforestation monitoring site Nusantara Atlas.
Indonesia's government has not provided official figures for areas burned since announcing 202,000 hectares had been razed by the end of July.
Gaveau said the true scale of the burning was likely to be even higher than the 1,916,588 hectares his organisation has detected so far.
"Our burned-area estimates are conservative for two reasons. First, we exclude individual burn scars smaller than 6.25 hectares... Second, we prioritise avoiding false detections," he said.
This year, the calculation has also been impacted by heavy haze, which has obscured satellite images at times.
"The total reported burned area therefore underestimates the true area burned," he said.
Even so, Nusantara Atlas data shows the area burned by the end of September this year was 38 percent higher than the same point in 2019.
The satellites the monitor uses were not available during severe fires in 2015, so comparable data is not available.
But Gaveau said it was likely this year would be similarly bad.
"My intuition is that it probably is as bad. If you look at the sheer number of hotspots, it's still trending up and up," he said.
sah/fox

Global Edition

Australia's new Ghost Shark submarines grow some 'teeth'

  • The Ghost Shark will carry up to 12 sea mines, equipment for special forces, and Anduril's Altius aerial drone that can be launched at sea to form swarms to conduct reconnaissance and strike, he told reporters.
  • Australia is boosting its undersea warfare capability by equipping its Ghost Shark autonomous submarine with "swarms" of aerial drones and sea mines, its defence ministry said Monday.
  • The Ghost Shark will carry up to 12 sea mines, equipment for special forces, and Anduril's Altius aerial drone that can be launched at sea to form swarms to conduct reconnaissance and strike, he told reporters.
Australia is boosting its undersea warfare capability by equipping its Ghost Shark autonomous submarine with "swarms" of aerial drones and sea mines, its defence ministry said Monday.
US defence technology start-up Anduril jointly developed the extra large submarine drone with Australia's defence scientists, and is building a Ghost Shark fleet for Canberra under a Au$1.8 billion (US$1.3 billion) contract.
The AUKUS partners of Australia, Britain and the US pledged this year to develop interchangeable payloads for drones used in undersea warfare, in addition to their nuclear submarine cooperation.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said in Sydney on Monday that after secret trials three payloads had been approved to "do things we don't want humans to do".
The Ghost Shark will carry up to 12 sea mines, equipment for special forces, and Anduril's Altius aerial drone that can be launched at sea to form swarms to conduct reconnaissance and strike, he told reporters.
Potential adversaries will have to consider that any shipping container at an Australian wharf could have a Ghost Shark in it, he said.
"Not only could there be Ghost Sharks in those shipping containers, but those Ghost Sharks now have teeth," he said.
Australia, concerned at the rapid build-up of China's navy and tensions in the South China Sea, is rapidly expanding its investment in drones. 
The Ghost Shark can travel long distances and would work in tandem with the crewed submarine fleet, officials said.
"A range of other countries" had expressed interest in acquiring the Ghost Shark, Conroy said.
China is focused on developing undersea sensors, weapons and autonomous vehicles to counter US submarines, the US Navy's intelligence director told a US government committee in May. 
Anduril earlier this month won a $2.9 billion US Navy contract to build components for the US Navy's Virginia-class submarine and said it will build a new submarine shipyard in the US. 
The US is seeking to speed up production so it can sell the submarines to Australia under the AUKUS agreement.
kln/oho/abs

debate

'Liar,' 'clown': Lula and Bolsonaro spar in Brazil poll debate

BY ESTEBAN ROJAS WITH FRAN BLANDY IN RIO DE JANEIRO

  • Former president Jair Bolsonaro came up several times, including when his son asked Lula why so many prisoners had supported him in the election.
  • Firing off personal attacks, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro held an acrimonious first debate Sunday, a week before a tight presidential election runoff.
  • Former president Jair Bolsonaro came up several times, including when his son asked Lula why so many prisoners had supported him in the election.
Firing off personal attacks, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro held an acrimonious first debate Sunday, a week before a tight presidential election runoff.
A chaotic exchange between the two men, who called each other liars on multiple occasions, accusing each other of corruption and dragging up various scandals, encapsulated the tone of a bitter election campaign in the deeply polarized nation.
Bolsonaro, 45, son of the far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, secured a shock first-round lead over Lula earlier this month and polls predict a close battle for the runoff on October 25.
The two men sparred over the economy, public security, healthcare, corruption, and Brazil's ties to the United States.
"Brazil is going to retire you," fired off Bolsonaro, seeking to unnerve his adversary by pacing up and down behind him throughout the debate in view of the camera, shaking his head, smirking and scoffing while his adversary spoke.
Lula called Bolsonaro "a habitual liar, a thug," and said he did not want to stand close to a "militiaman," alluding to his alleged ties to Rio de Janeiro's paramilitary groups.
Bolsonaro, who made several jabs about Lula's time jailed for corruption on charges that were later annulled, retorted that it was better he stay at a distance "because my wallet could be stolen."
Lula, who at almost 81 is seeking a fourth term in power, battled to control his irritation at times and repeatedly asked viewers to "look it up on Google" to prove his adversary was lying.
While Bolsonaro has led in polls since the first round, his edge slightly narrowed in two polls this week which showed him with 51 percent of voting intentions compared to 49 percent for Lula.

'Subservient' to US interests

Bolsonaro hammered away at the primary concerns of Brazilians -- such as the cost of living and insecurity -- and accused Lula of "reckless spending to get re-elected" due to various social measures he has announced while campaigning.
Lula countered by asking Bolsonaro about his plans to emulate the drastic "chainsaw" cuts to public spending implemented by Argentina's libertarian President Javier Milei, which led to higher unemployment and cuts to benefits.
Throughout the debate, Bolsonaro dodged the question and pivoted to different topics.
Lula questioned the right winger's his ties to US President Donald Trump -- an ally of the Bolsonaro family -- and plans to "hand over" Brazil's rare earth minerals.
"It is striking how the Bolsonaro family is subservient to American interests," said Lula.
Former president Jair Bolsonaro came up several times, including when his son asked Lula why so many prisoners had supported him in the election.
Lula said he wanted all of their votes, including that of Jair Bolsonaro -- who is currently serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for a botched coup bid after his failed 2022 re-election bid.
"Vote for me, Bolsonaro, you know your son, you know I'm better than him."

 ' A state of calamity'

Ahead of the showdown, tens of thousands of supporters of Lula and Bolsonaro gathered in cities around the country.
In Sao Paulo, a sea of people dressed in the yellow and green of the Brazilian flag rallied for Flavio Bolsonaro, who made his way down Paulista Avenue on the back of a truck.
"The country is in a state of calamity. To make ends meet or buy anything, you have to work two or three jobs just to pay the bills," said Sara Machado, 36, wearing a T-shirt with the slogan: "Right-wing. With pride."
The rally drew about 71,000 people, according to monitors at the University of Sao Paulo (USP).

Swimmers and singers for Lula

In Rio de Janeiro, swimmers at Praia Vermelha beach synchronized in the water to spell out Lula's name with their bodies.
Later, on Copacabana Beach, iconic octogenarian singer Caetano Veloso led a "rally for democracy" in favor of the president, which USP monitors said drew some 56,000 people.
Fabiana Leite, a 51-year-old nurse and social worker, said Lula's social welfare programs saved her after she was wrongly incarcerated, lost custody of her daughters, and had to rebuild her life after being freed.
"You might have the desire to fight and to grow, but without the means, without social programs, it's just not possible. That is why I am here, continuing the fight," she told AFP.
bur-fb/sla